Governance

Rwanda today is a nation on the rise, powered by resilience, shared values of solidarity, and a purposeful government. Since the genocide in 1994, poverty rates have fallen by half, average income has risen three-and-a-half fold, child mortality has plummeted, and gender equality and government efficiency are a model on the continent. Built upon visionary leadership, Rwanda has achieved most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and has sustained rapid economic growth for over two decades.

The Government of Rwanda, led by H.E. President Paul Kagame, continues to set bold ambitions to improve the lives and livelihoods of Rwandans. Strong and inclusive growth, sustained over an extended period, is at the heart of these ambitions.

We are supporting the Government of Rwanda on accelerating economic growth in line with its Vision 2050 aspiration of making Rwanda a high-income, high standard-of-living country. We work alongside government counterparts in core institutions responsible for driving private-sector led growth, growth in exports, attracting investment, and improving human capital.

The Institute began working in Rwanda in 2008, providing strategic advice to government to ensure that its vision for development can be effectively implemented.

Initially our work focused on strengthening systems and structures at the centre of government and the President’s private office. In 2011, our support expanded to coordinate major project delivery systems and hands-on public-sector capacity building through the implementation of the Strategic Capacity Building Initiative (SCBI). A flagship initiative for both the Government of Rwanda and the Institute, the SCBI built the capacity of Rwandan nationals in priority sectors in support of Rwandan ownership of its national development. Through SCBI, more than 85% of participating Rwandans were coached and ultimately absorbed into civil service roles. Ownership of the initiative was taken up fully by the Rwandan Government in June 2017, with our team continuing to provide advice and strategic support.

We’re also working with the government to attract transformative private investments in high-potential sectors and build an innovation ecosystem which will incubate the next generation of technology entrepreneurs and companies. We are also supporting the development of the country’s horticulture value chains to drive the export of higher value-added products and generate formal employment opportunities.

Our team is working to ensure that the country’s energy infrastructure is able to meet business and social needs, while not putting an unsustainable burden on government finances. In the last decade, we have supported the government to connect 17% of households to the electricity grid, providing one million more people with power.

We also serve as a thought partner to help Rwanda leverage its “demographic dividend” and improve the quality of education so that young Rwandans are equipped to take on the jobs of the future.